This from the New York Times: A capital under siege A presidential inauguration in the United States is usually a celebration of democracy. Hundreds of thousands of people descend on Washington to watch a newly elected president take the oath of office. A departing president signals his respect for the country by celebrating the…
It is Martin Luther King Jr. day. I regret that when King was active in the Civil Rights movement in the 1960’s I was indifferent to the events, to the suffering of Blacks across this land. I did not go out of my way to hurt Black individuals, even felt “positive” about several who…
Late in the day, dusk was giving way to darkness and traffic was becoming heavier. I felt relieved to hear the voice of Kai Ryssdal, the host of Marketplace on NPR radio. There hasn’t been much good news lately. I believe it is better to know, — to be “Socrates dissatisfied, than a pig…
A good discussion last night on the writings of Martin Buber. Here are some samples from Buber’s book, Ich und Du. The German renders the title better than the English title of I and Thou. Thou in English is sonorous, off putting, with religious connotations from the King James Bible. In German, Du connotes…
As consciousness dawned this morning, from the clock radio came these sounds of exhortation: “It’s the Mackay-in-the-morning show at 95.9, The River… — followed by the harmonious voices, a choir singing acappella the Rolling Stones anthem You can’t always get what you want.” I rose and thought to myself, “How perfect.” What better battle…
I awoke at 5:50AM a few minutes before the alarm would have aroused me from slumber. In the darkness my first thoughts were that Friday is a nice day, I have a fine vantage point to observe the demise of our democracy, our civil society. Two days in the aftermath of a failed coup,…
The day begins in darkness. That is not new. What is new is the effort of the President of the United States to overthrow the result of the election. The days ahead will be critical. And what of the seventy two million who offered him their votes, who believe the Presidents version of “reality?” …
Sunday, January 3, 2021. A new year begins tomorrow, Monday is the first work-day of the week, — the beginning of ordinary time. We are exhausted psychologically by the severing of social exchange imposed by the pandemic. The worst is yet to come. Many have been ambivalent to the required measures necessary to slowing…
A light snowfall last night. Everything is coated with white, beautiful and temporary. Life for human beings is a mix of good and evil, light and darkness if you will. We cannot speak directly about “good” or it’s opposite, evil. We use metaphor to describe what we mean. Plato’s allegory of the cave is…
This the final day of the year 2020. What does the future hold for us? And there is only us. The worst delusion is to imagine that my fate is not entwined with that of others. Each of us is individual, a paradox of sentiment and thought, one-of-a-kind in all of the world, indeed,…
